Monday, December 31, 2012

Shirley Temple bursts her way into a New Year, to wish everyone lots of good luck. (Even, Ivan G.!)

Ann Miller could stop a clock with those legs.

Thelma Todd puts in some work and shows off her gorgeous figure.

Julie Adams rings in a New Year with sequins. Will Hayes would faint at this get up.

Rita Hayworth drags all of her baggage into a new year. (She's probably headed to Kevin Dearny's place for some rest!)

Betty Hutton looks like she started celebrating a bit too early.

Olivia deHavilland opts to bring in her New Year on the slopes. She looks like she's having a lot of fun on her fake snow prop.

Wishing everyone a safe, but fun New Years Eve with many great things coming your way in 2013.

And thank you all so much for visiting my blog over the past year as well as contributing to our great discussions here about old Hollywood and our favorite stars. Stay tuned for more fun posts in 2013 and for my new blog followers, I hope you'll visit the archives in the meantime.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

While it's not cold here it's still winter and with that it's time to bring back our classic stars in their fabulous furs.

Lana Turner steps out with Peter Lawford.

Jayne Mansfield opts for a black wrap with her evening gown. (Loving the shorter hair!)

Irene Dunne stays warm in a full length mink.

Marion Davies attempts sultry in nothing but fur.

Betty Compson looks lovely in velvet and a touch of fur.

Rita Hayworth surrounds herself with fur. She's just that fabulous!

Pola Negri opts for fur cuffs, a collar and jewels which is nice but I wish she hadn't forgotten to fix one side of her hair. What in the world, Pola?

Lupe Velez sizzles. (Watch and learn, Marion!)

Kim Hunter poses in her short length fur and evening gown. (Is it me or is that gown too summery for the dark fur and then her hairstyle is rather distracting and not flattering on her?)

Loretta Young, drapes herself in mink which fits her image. Prim, and proper!

Joan Bennett is picture perfect in her matching fur wrap.

Hedy Lamarr opts for a white mini. Be sweet, Hedy and loan it out to Kim Hunter.

Please let me know what you think of the furs or the attire featured here in the comments. Also, I do realize that fur is not acceptable to wear now and I assure you I am not sitting here in fur pajamas. : )

I hope you are all toasty warm wherever you are as the holidays approach.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

I know you've all missed Shirley and her candid thoughts on old Hollywood hats so she's back! Let's get started before Ivan G. arrives with his petition to shut this blog down.

For the three of you who don't know who Shirley is, it's Shirley Temple, my co-host. She's not holding back either so if you're ready, so am I!

Wynne Gibson is divine in her beanie and jewels. Shirley: "She smokes so imagine this is Joan Crawford at 12. By 30 Wynne will regret this and she'll be at a pawn shop, hawking her jewels for food and Camels with her looks gone!" Let's take it easy on the anti-smoking campaigns!

Vivien Leigh, always so sweet and innocent and put together! Shirley: "You obviously haven't read any of Olivier's sappy love letters. I bet her knees are quivering here!" You're just awful, Shirley..I'm going to have a talk with your mother!

Elsa Lanchester looks eloquent and so pretty. I'm a big fan. Aren't you, Shirley? Shirley: "I think she's in mourning. It continued for at least 10 years." That's a third of her marriage to Laughton! Shirley: "I know! I'm surprised it wasn't more too!"

Norma Talmadge, in a very good photo and a very cute hat. Shirley: "She should stick to profile shots like this. From straight on she could pass as Robert Mitchum's double and I think she borrowed that dress from the not famous sister!" There's nothing wrong with her dress. Shirley: "Not if you're a potato farmer."

Marion Davies is lovely in one of her 30s publicity portraits. Shirley: "Clearly, this was a couple of years after she was hunting down booze in San Simeon elevators like a truffle hound. She's bloated up like a deer on a salt lick bender!" Thank goodness, Hearst is long gone, otherwise you would be ending up washed up on a beach in some shabby luggage. Shirley: "I'm being nice here. I didn't even mention her eyebrows!"

Toby Wing looks very pretty here. Shirley: "She's a round faced, Jean Harlow want to be but I do like her blouse and the fact that she didn't go over the top with red lipstick!" Well, there is that!

Hope Hampton has left me speechless so I'll leave it to you, Shirley. Shirley: "She's like a Mae West meets Joan Blondell hybrid here! Is this supposed to be a tribute to sailors or did the costume department throw everything white into the photo hoping she would be a good sport about it?" I'll never look at tassels in the same way! Shirley: "Same here! She's also ruined Veteran's Day, the color white, pleats and bamboo wallpaper for me!" I'm just thankful you gave black turtlenecks a pass, Shirley!

Lana Turner looks great in black. Who doesn't like Lana? Shirley: "Another star in mourning but this time she's in mourning to stay out of prison!" I know who doesn't like Lana Turner....Bottom tier gangsters!" We better move this along.

I love Betty Compson's hat. Shirley: "She's clearly snubbing Mary Pickford here. You can tell by the smirk on her face that she wants to rip some ringlets from their pasted on roots!" Well, we all love a good cat fight. Dig those two divas up!

If you want to dish on these hats please leave a comment and just know that I have no control over Shirley. Well, I do but what fun would it be to ban my imaginary co-host?

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

With Christmas approaching, I'm sure many of you, like myself have a book or two on your Holiday Wish List. I thought I would take a moment to share some of the books that I've purchased recently and a few that I hope to get as a gift or even buy for myself. (Can't go wrong with Amazon gift cards!)

Some of the books that I've purchased recently are:Mae West, It Ain't No Sin The Hollywood Studios Which takes a look at how the studios were run between the 20s and 40s.

The Art of the Great Studio Photographers, 1925-1940Hollywood: The Pioneers by Kevin Brownlow. (A look back at Hollywood during the silent era.)

Hollywood: Then and NowThe Glamour Factory: Inside the Studio SystemDorothy and Lillian GishImage MakersPickford: The Woman Who Made HollywoodThe Warner Bros StoryHearst: The CollectorMarion Davies (bio)
Also, our friend, fellow blogger and author, Jacqueline T. Lynch has a new book out titled Meet Me in Nuthatch which is available via Kindle or Paperback. You can order it HERE.Three books on my Christmas list are Blind Faith by Joe McGinniss. (He really is the best at true crime)and the latest book by Michelle Vogel, Lupe Velez: The Life and Career of Hollywood's "Mexican Spitfire"I'm pretty excited that we finally have a great biography on the star. Lastly, I can't wait to get Silent Movies: The Birth of Film and the Triumph of Movie Culture.

I'm anxious to see what my blog visitors are reading and which books you have on your own holiday wish list.So let's discuss!

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

As you know by now if you've been following this blog, I don't write reviews of current movies, nor do I discuss my favorite music groups. I've kept it focused on classic cinema and classic stars.

I'm making an exception today for Michael Jackson. Before you freak out hear me out! Michael loved Elizabeth Taylor. They were friends and he admired Marlon Brando and James Cagney, While he had his issues he was an amazing entertainer as you will soon see.

I'm dedicating this post and this day to him and his greatest performance where he shines and he makes me think of the amazing, Charlie Chaplin. If you haven't seen this live performance please do yourself a favor and watch it through on full screen. You'll grow to appreciate the gift that he had for entertaining as well as his channeling of Chaplin, Cagney and himself, the genius that he was.

Please enjoy this video as much as I have since his passing. Very seldom are we given this much talent in one human being!

I miss you, Michael!
Cagney, Taylor, Chaplin and Jackson all had their flaws but please don't discuss them here.
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Winner of a 2012 CiMBA Award for my Thelma Todd Two Part Profile

I'm honored to have won the Bloggers Choice Award for my Little Shop of Horrors review.

Winner of a 2011 CiMBA Award for my review of The Women (1939)

Winner of Two Liebster Blog Awards in 2012

Winner of a

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A Quick Note!

I appreciate everyone who visits here and those of you who comment on my posts, contribute info to posts I've written. At the same time, if you come here in an aggressive, threatening or rude manner I will not only delete your comments but you will not be allowed to do so in the future. All additional info is appreciated and encouraged in regards to anything that's been written here which is obvious to anyone who has ever conversed with me.

We are all adults and I would hope that we can agree or disagree in a civilized and appropriate manner.

If you have questions about anything I am more than happy to answer your questions but do not feel it's okay to attack me or any of the commenter's here. I want this blog to continue to be a place for us to be entertained, have a good laugh now and again and share in our love of old Hollywood. If this isn't your desire, perhaps you would be happier somewhere else.

Thank you and know that I am thrilled that all of you keep returning to My Love of Old Hollywood.

Now, let's have some fun!

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About Me

This blog is a work in progress. And I promise it will one day grow into a place where lovers of film can share their own photos, memorabilia and gather to comment on what will be uploaded here from my personal collection. Thank you for your patience. To read more on how I got started collecting please read my first post "And So We Begin" which has photos of my collection scattered about the house.
To get new blog updates you can follow me through the CMBA site and thank you so much for your support and comments so far. I've discovered some amazing people with blogs now that I've started this venture.